Showgirls (1995)

Nomi, a young drifter, arrives in Las Vegas to become a dancer and soon sets about clawing and pushing her way to become the top of the Vegas showgirls.

Director:

Paul Verhoeven (as Jan Jansen)

Writer:

Joe Eszterhas

Stars:

Elizabeth Berkley, Kyle MacLachlan, Gina Gershon

10 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elizabeth Berkley	...	Nomi Malone
Kyle MacLachlan	...	Zack Carey
Gina Gershon	...	Cristal Connors
Glenn Plummer	...	James Smith
Robert Davi	...	Al Torres
Alan Rachins	...	Tony Moss
Gina Ravera	...	Molly Abrams
Lin Tucci	...	Henrietta 'Mama' Bazoom
Greg Travis	...	Phil Newkirk
Al Ruscio	...	Mr. Karlman
Patrick Bristow	...	Marty Jacobsen
William Shockley	...	Andrew Carver
Bobbie Phillips	...	Dee
Dewey Weber	...	Jeff
Rena Riffel	...	Penny / Hope

Storyline

Nomi Malone, a mysterious young girl with the ambition to dance embarks on a journey to Las Vegas to become a showgirl in a high-class hotel show. There she meets Molly, a seamstress at the Stardust Hotel and the two quickly become good friends. She gets a job as a lap dancer at the seedy Cheetah Club but after a chance meeting with Cristal Connors, the star of Goddess, the current show at the hotel where Molly works, Nomi manages to secure an audition for a spot on the chorus line.However she soon realises that fame comes with a price as her friendships, her morals and her soul are put to the test as she works her way up the ladder and eventually becomes the star of the show, stealing Cristal's part. She begins to wonder if all of her work was for nothing and if she can reclaim her life back before it is too late.

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Plot Keywords:

lap dancing | stripper | sex in a swimming pool | breasts | cult film | 

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Taglines:

The side of Vegas you were never mean't to see.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated NC-17 for nudity and erotic sexuality throughout, and for some graphic language and sexual violence

Details

Country:

France USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 September 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Coristas

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$45,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,112,627, 24 September 1995, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$20,302,961

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$37,702,961

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carolco Pictures, Chargeurs, United Artists

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min 131 min (NC-17)

Sound Mix:

DTS-Stereo Dolby SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Set an all-time RAZZIE Award record with 13 nominations (one or more in all 11 categories of the 1996 Awards). Its seven "wins" tied it with Battlefield Earth (2000) as the third most dis-honored film in RAZZIE history (I Know Who Killed Me (2007) later held the dubious distinction with eight "wins". Which itself was then beaten by Jack and Jill (2011) with ten "wins".)

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Goofs

After Nomi's friend is raped at the party, she's in the hospital where the doctor reveals that she's had vaginal tearing, then after he leaves Nomi tries to call the police to report it and Zack stops her. But the police should have already been notified by the hospital as is standard procedure with suspected sexual assault victims.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jeff: Hop in, pard!
Nomi Malone: Where are you going?
Jeff: Vegas! Come on! This is your lucky day!

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Alternate Versions

The movie in the USA was given an NC-17 rating. Since video rental chains like Blockbuster Video would not carry movies with this rating, some of the sex scenes, nudity and sexual assault details were cut to produce an R-rated video version. The complete NC-17 version was available on VHS, DVD and Blu-ray. The R-rated version is as of 2016 is only available on VHS.

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Connections

Spoofed in Saturday Night Live: Amy Adams/Vampire Weekend (2008)

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Soundtracks

Emergency's About To End
Written by Rob Zabrecky
Performed by Possum Dixon
Courtesy of Interscope Records

User Reviews

Watch with a grain or two of salt at hand

Showgirls follows the exploits (and exploits!) of Nomi (Liz Berkley) who travels to Las Vegas with a dream of becoming a "show-girl" (set your goals high!). She lands a job at a sleazy strip bar and eventually joins a chorus line of a casino show. She befriends the star of the show (Gina Gershon) and her boyfriend (Kyle MacLachlan) and it all ends up being a bit of a love triangle. I think the film's makers attempted to create a R rated modern musical - but the problem is that the music is cruddy, the choreography cheesy (but I love the "arm-flick" move) and the acting flaky. It's hard to understand the motivations of the main character - she is just so spontaneous and out-of-control - it's hard to relate to her. Also - the sex is just so trashy and unsexy - it gives Demi Moore in Striptease a run for her money in terms of film unsexyness. But - this is a movie that you need to watch with a grain of salt. Don't take it too seriously - think of it as a musical comedy... and you might have a good time.